2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
}} | local-date = | local-time = 14:46 JST | timestamp = 2011-03-11 05:46:24 | anss-url= official20110311054624120_30 | duration = 6 minutes | magnitude = 9.0–9.1 (Mw) | depth = | location = | type = Megathrust | countries affected = Japan (shaking, tsunami) Pacific Rim (tsunami) | damage = $360 billion USD | intensity = [[Mercalli intensity scale|IX (Violent)]] | PGA = 2.99 g | PGV = 117.41 cm/s | tsunami = Up to in Miyako, Iwate, Tōhoku | landslide = Yes | foreshocks = List of foreshocks and aftershocks of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake | aftershocks = 13,386 (as of 6 March 2018) on 6 March 2018. | casualties = | citations = https://www.thebalance.com/japan-s-2011-earthquake-tsunami-and-nuclear-disaster-3305662 }} The was a magnitude 9.0–9.1 (Mw) undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on Friday 11 March 2011, with the epicentre approximately east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tōhoku and the hypocenter at an underwater depth of approximately . The earthquake is often referred to in Japan as the Abstract of the 191th [sic! meeting of CCEP] – website of the Japanese Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction NHK used ; was used by Kyodo News, Tokyo Shimbun and Chunichi Shimbun; was used by Yomiuri Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun and TV Asahi, and was used by Nippon Television, Tokyo FM and TV Asahi. }} and is also known as the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake,USGS Updates Magnitude of Japan's 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake to 9.03 – website of the United States Geological Survey and the 3.11 earthquake. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan, and the fourth most powerful earthquake in the world since modern record-keeping began in 1900. The earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves that reached heights of up to in Miyako in Tōhoku's Iwate Prefecture, Yomiuri Shimbun evening edition 2-11-04-15 page 15, nearby Aneyoshi fishery port (姉吉漁港)(Google map E39 31 57.8, N 142 3 7.6) 2011-04-15, 大震災の津波、宮古で38.9 m…明治三陸上回る by okayasu Akio (岡安 章夫) and which, in the Sendai area, traveled up to inland. The earthquake moved Honshu (the main island of Japan) east, shifted the Earth on its axis by estimates of between and , increased earth's rotational speed by 1.8 µs per day, and generated infrasound waves detected in perturbations of the low-orbiting GOCE satellite. Initially, the earthquake caused sinking of part of Honshu's Pacific coast by up to roughly a metre, but after about three years, the coast rose back and kept on rising to exceed its original height.未来を考える力を 気仙沼復興レポート㉘ 地盤の沈下と隆起 2016-06-11 今川 悟 地盤が隆起 漁業者困惑 最大40センチ、積み荷に影響 三陸沿岸で地殻変動か Nikkei 2015-03-09東北沿岸、地震で沈んだ地盤が謎の隆起 マントル影響か Nikkei 2017-02-27 The latest report from the Japanese National Police Agency report confirms and across twenty prefectures, and a report from 2015 indicated 228,863 people were still living away from their home in either temporary housing or due to permanent relocation. A report by the National Police Agency of Japan on September 10, 2018 listed; 121,778 buildings "total collapsed", with a further 280,926 buildings "half collapsed", and another 699,180 buildings "partially damaged".https://www.npa.go.jp/news/other/earthquake2011/pdf/higaijokyo_e.pdf - National Police Agency of Japan. Retrieved 10 September 2018. The earthquake and tsunami also caused extensive and severe structural damage in north-eastern Japan, including heavy damage to roads and railways as well as fires in many areas, and a dam collapse.Saira Syed – "Japan quake: Infrastructure damage will delay recovery" – 16 March 2011 – BBC News – Retrieved 18 March 2011. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said, "In the 65 years after the end of World War II, this is the toughest and the most difficult crisis for Japan." Around 4.4 million households in northeastern Japan were left without electricity and 1.5 million without water. The tsunami caused nuclear accidents, primarily the level 7 meltdowns at three reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex, and the associated evacuation zones affecting hundreds of thousands of residents. Many electrical generators were taken down, and at least three nuclear reactors suffered explosions due to hydrogen gas that had built up within their outer containment buildings after cooling system failure resulting from the loss of electrical power. Residents within a radius of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and a radius of the Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant were evacuated. Early estimates placed insured losses from the earthquake alone at US$14.5 to $34.6 billion. The Bank of Japan offered ¥15 trillion (US$183 billion) to the banking system on 14 March in an effort to normalize market conditions. The World Bank's estimated economic cost was US$235 billion, making it the costliest natural disaster in history. Earthquake , USA]] that caused the main tremor, low-angle thrusting on a west-dipping fault plane]] The 9.1-magnitude (Mw) undersea megathrust earthquake occurred on 11 March 2011 at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) in the north-western Pacific Ocean at a relatively shallow depth of ,Japan earthquake and tsunami: what happened and why|World news. The Guardian. Retrieved on 3 April 2011. with its epicenter approximately east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tōhoku, Japan, lasting approximately six minutes. The earthquake was initially reported as 7.9 Mw by the USGS before it was quickly upgraded to 8.8 Mw, then to 8.9 Mw, and then finally to 9.0 Mw. On 11 July 2016, the USGS further upgraded the earthquake to 9.1. Sendai was the nearest major city to the earthquake, from the epicenter; the earthquake occurred from Tokyo. The main earthquake was preceded by a number of large foreshocks, with hundreds of aftershocks reported. One of the first major foreshocks was a 7.2 Mw event on 9 March, approximately from the epicenter of 11 March earthquake, with another three on the same day in excess of 6.0 Mw. Following the main earthquake on 11 March, a 7.4 Mw aftershock was reported at 15:08 JST (6:06 UTC), succeeded by a 7.9 Mw at 15:15 JST (6:16 UTC) and a 7.7 Mw at 15:26 JST (6:26 UTC). Over eight hundred aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 Mw or greater have occurred since the initial quake, including one on 26 October 2013 (local time) of magnitude 7.1 Mw. Aftershocks follow Omori's law, which states that the rate of aftershocks declines with the reciprocal of the time since the main quake. The aftershocks will thus taper off in time, but could continue for years. Geology This megathrust earthquake was a recurrence of the mechanism of the earlier 869 Sanriku earthquake, which has been estimated as having a magnitude of at least 8.4 Mw, which also created a large tsunami that inundated the Sendai plain. Three tsunami deposits have been identified within the Holocene sequence of the plain, all formed within the last 3,000 years, suggesting an 800 to 1,100 year recurrence interval for large tsunamigenic earthquakes. In 2001 it was reckoned that there was a high likelihood of a large tsunami hitting the Sendai plain as more than 1,100 years had then elapsed. In 2007, the probability of an earthquake with a magnitude of Mw 8.1–8.3 was estimated as 99% within the following 30 years. This earthquake occurred where the Pacific Plate is subducting under the plate beneath northern Honshu. The Pacific plate, which moves at a rate of 8 to 9 cm (3.1 to 3.5 in) per year, dips under Honshu's underlying plate, building large amounts of elastic energy. This motion pushes the upper plate down until the accumulated stress causes a seismic slip-rupture event. The break caused the sea floor to rise by several metres. A quake of this magnitude usually has a rupture length of at least and generally requires a long, relatively straight fault surface. Because the plate boundary and subduction zone in the area of the Honshu rupture is not very straight, it is unusual for the magnitude of its earthquake to exceed 8.5 Mw; the magnitude of this earthquake was a surprise to some seismologists. The hypocentral region of this earthquake extended from offshore Iwate Prefecture to offshore Ibaraki Prefecture. The Japanese Meteorological Agency said that the earthquake may have ruptured the fault zone from Iwate to Ibaraki with a length of and a width of . Analysis showed that this earthquake consisted of a set of three events. Other major earthquakes with tsunamis struck the Sanriku Coast region in 1896 and in 1933. The source area of this earthquake has a relatively high coupling coefficient surrounded by areas of relatively low coupling coefficients in the west, north, and south. From the averaged coupling coefficient of 0.5–0.8 in the source area and the seismic moment, it was estimated that the slip deficit of this earthquake was accumulated over a period of 260–880 years, which is consistent with the recurrence interval of such great earthquakes estimated from the tsunami deposit data. The seismic moment of this earthquake accounts for about 93% of the estimated cumulative moment from 1926 to March 2011. Hence, earthquakes with magnitudes about 7 since 1926 in this area only had released part of the accumulated energy. In the area near the trench, the coupling coefficient is high, which could act as the source of the large tsunami.http://www.aob.geophys.tohoku.ac.jp/download/ronbun/EPS_uchida2011.pdf Most of the foreshocks are interplate earthquakes with thrust-type focal mechanisms. Both interplate and intraplate earthquakes appeared in the aftershocks offshore Sanriku coast with considerable proportions."Spatial distribution and focal mechanisms of aftershocks of the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tōhoku Earthquake" by Y. Asano, T. Saito, Y. Ito, K. Shiomi, H. Hirose, T. Matsumoto, S. Aoi, S. Hori, and S. Sekiguchi. The strong ground motion registered at the maximum of 7 on the Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale in Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture. Three other prefectures—Fukushima, Ibaraki and Tochigi—recorded an upper 6 on the JMA scale. Seismic stations in Iwate, Gunma, Saitama and Chiba Prefecture measured a lower 6, recording an upper 5 in Tokyo. In Russia, the main shock could be felt in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (MSK 4) and Kurilsk (MSK 4). The aftershock at 06:25 UTC could be felt in Yuzhno-Kurilsk (MSK 5) and Kurilsk (MSK 4). Energy ]] The surface energy of the seismic waves from the earthquake was calculated to be at joules, which is nearly double that of the 9.1 Mw 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that killed 230,000 people. If harnessed, the seismic energy from this earthquake would power a city the size of Los Angeles for an entire year. The seismic moment (M0), which represents a physical size for the event, was calculated by the USGS at 3.9×1022 joules, slightly less than the 2004 Indian Ocean quake. Japan's National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED) calculated a peak ground acceleration of 2.99 ''g'' (29.33 m/s2). |name="fn_2"|group="fn"}} The largest individual recording in Japan was 2.7 g, in Miyagi Prefecture, 75 km from the epicentre; the highest reading in the Tokyo metropolitan area was 0.16 g. Geophysical effects Portions of northeastern Japan shifted by as much as closer to North America, making some sections of Japan's landmass wider than before. Those areas of Japan closest to the epicenter experienced the largest shifts. A stretch of coastline dropped vertically by , allowing the tsunami to travel farther and faster onto land. One early estimate suggested that the Pacific plate may have moved westward by up to , and another early estimate put the amount of slippage at as much as 40 m (130 ft). On 6 April the Japanese coast guard said that the quake shifted the seabed near the epicenter and elevated the seabed off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture by .Japan seabed shifted 24 metres after March quake | Reuters.com A report by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, published in Science on 2 December 2011, concluded that the seabed in the area between the epicenter and the Japan Trench moved east-southeast and rose about as a result of the quake. The report also stated that the quake had caused several major landslides on the seabed in the affected area.Jiji Press, "March temblor shifted seabed by ", Japan Times, 3 December 2011, p. 1. in Kōtō, Tokyo]] The Earth's axis shifted by estimates of between and . This deviation led to a number of small planetary changes, including the length of a day, the tilt of the Earth, and the Chandler wobble. The speed of the Earth's rotation increased, shortening the day by 1.8 microseconds due to the redistribution of Earth's mass. The axial shift was caused by the redistribution of mass on the Earth's surface, which changed the planet's moment of inertia. Because of conservation of angular momentum, such changes of inertia result in small changes to the Earth's rate of rotation. These are expected changes for an earthquake of this magnitude. The earthquake also generated infrasound waves detected by perturbations in the orbit of the GOCE satellite, which thus serendipitously became the first seismograph in orbit. Soil liquefaction was evident in areas of reclaimed land around Tokyo, particularly in Urayasu,Fukue, Natsuko, "Liquefaction driving away Chiba residents", Japan Times, 30 March 2012, p. 3.Fukue, Natsuko, "Urayasu still dealing with liquefaction", Japan Times, 8 April 2011, p. 4. Chiba City, Funabashi, Narashino (all in Chiba Prefecture) and in the Koto, Edogawa, Minato, Chūō, and Ōta Wards of Tokyo. Approximately 30 homes or buildings were destroyed and 1,046 other buildings were damaged to varying degrees.Yomiuri Shimbun, "Liquefaction Damage Widespread", 10 April 2011. Nearby Haneda Airport, built mostly on reclaimed land, was not damaged. Odaiba also experienced liquefaction, but damage was minimal.Bloomberg L.P., "Tokyo Disneyland's parking lot shows the risk of reclaimed land", Japan Times, 24 March 2011, p. 3. Shinmoedake, a volcano in Kyushu, erupted three days after the earthquake. The volcano had previously erupted in January 2011; it is not known if the later eruption was linked to the earthquake. In Antarctica, the seismic waves from the earthquake were reported to have caused the Whillans Ice Stream to slip by about . observations resulting from mainshock]] The first sign international researchers had that the earthquake caused such a dramatic change in the Earth's rotation came from the United States Geological Survey which monitors Global Positioning Satellite stations across the world. The Survey team had several GPS monitors located near the scene of the earthquake. The GPS station located nearest the epicenter moved almost . This motivated government researchers to look into other ways the earthquake may have had large scale effects on the planet. Calculations at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory determined that the Earth's rotation was changed by the earthquake to the point where the days are now 1.8 microseconds shorter. Aftershocks Japan experienced over 1,000 aftershocks since the earthquake, with 80 registering over magnitude 6.0 Mw and several of which have been over magnitude 7.0 Mw. A magnitude 7.4 Mw at 15:08 (JST), 7.9 Mw at 15:15 and a 7.7 Mw quake at 15:26 all occurred on 11 March.Magnitude 7.1 – NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN A month later, a major aftershock struck offshore on 7 April with a magnitude of 7.1 Mw. Its epicenter was underwater, off the coast of Sendai. The Japan Meteorological Agency assigned a magnitude of 7.4 MJMA, while the U.S. Geological Survey lowered it to 7.1 Mw. At least four people were killed, and electricity was cut off across much of northern Japan including the loss of external power to Higashidōri Nuclear Power Plant and Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant. Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update Log, IAEA, 7 April 2011 NHK, "Strong aftershock kills four", 12 April 2011. Four days later on 11 April, another magnitude 7.1 Mw aftershock struck Fukushima, causing additional damage and killing a total of three people. On 7 December 2012 a large aftershock of magnitude 7.3 Mw caused a minor tsunami, and again on 26 October 2013 small tsunami waves were recorded after a 7.1 Mw aftershock. As of 16 March 2012 aftershocks continued, totaling 1887 events over magnitude 4.0; a regularly updated map showing all shocks of magnitude 4.5 and above near or off the east coast of Honshu in the last seven days showed over 20 events. there had been 869 aftershocks of 5.0 Mw or greater, 118 of 6.0 Mw or greater, and 9 over 7.0 Mw as reported by the Japanese Meteorological Agency. The number of aftershocks was associated with decreased health across Japan. Earthquake Warning System One minute before the earthquake was felt in Tokyo, the Earthquake Early Warning system, which includes more than 1,000 seismometers in Japan, sent out warnings of impending strong shaking to millions. It is believed that the early warning by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) saved many lives. The warning for the general public was delivered about 8 seconds after the first P wave was detected, or about 31 seconds after the earthquake occurred. However, the estimated intensities were smaller than the actual ones in some places, especially in Kanto, Koshinetsu, and Northern Tōhoku regions where the populace warning did not trigger. According to the JMA , reasons for the underestimation include a saturated magnitude scale when using maximum amplitude as input, failure to fully take into account the area of the hypocenter, and the initial amplitude of the earthquake being less than that which would be predicted by an empirical relationship.干場充之 (2011) 経験則からのずれ ―はじめの数秒と強震動：τc, Pd，スペクトル，簡易震源域推定方法― 日本地球惑星科学連合 2011年 MIS036-P67緊急地震速報と観測された震度の特徴 JMA 日本地球惑星連合 2011年予稿集干場充之、尾崎友亮：2011年東北地方太平洋沖地震での緊急地震速報と津波警報 地震 第2輯 Vol.64 (2011–2012) No.3 P155-168 There were also cases where large differences between estimated intensities by the Earthquake Early Warning system and the actual intensities occurred in the aftershocks and triggered earthquakes. Such discrepancies in the warning were attributed by the JMA to the system's inability to distinguish between two different earthquakes that happened at around same time, as well as to the reduced number of reporting seismometers due to power outages and connection fails. The system's software was subsequently modified to handle this kind of situation. Tsunami tsunami energy map]] An upthrust of along a wide seabed at offshore from the east coast of TōhokuNHK BS News reported 2011-04-03-02:55 JST resulted in a major tsunami that brought destruction along the Pacific coastline of Japan's northern islands. Thousands of lives were lost and entire towns were devastated. The tsunami propagated throughout the Pacific Ocean region reaching the entire Pacific coast of North and South America from Alaska to Chile. Warnings were issued and evacuations were carried out in many countries bordering the Pacific. Although the tsunami affected many of these places, the heights of the waves were minor. Chile's Pacific coast, one of the furthest from Japan at about away, was struck by waves high, compared with an estimated wave height of at Omoe peninsula, Miyako city, Japan. Japan The tsunami warning issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency was the most serious on its warning scale; it was rated as a "major tsunami", being at least high.Tsunami Warning System information, Japan Meteorological Agency The actual height prediction varied, the greatest being for Miyagi at high. The tsunami inundated a total area of approximately in Japan. Station, 690 NM southeast of Tokyo]] The earthquake took place at 14:46 JST (UTC 05:46) around from the nearest point on Japan's coastline, and initial estimates indicated the tsunami would have taken 10 to 30 minutes to reach the areas first affected, and then areas farther north and south based on the geography of the coastline.One estimate of 10–15 minutes came from German seismologist Rainer Kind of the Helmholtz Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, as interviewed in Japan's tsunami victims only had 15 minutes warning, Deutsche Welle, 12 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011. Another estimate of 15–30 minutes came from Vasily V. Titov, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's ]]Center for Tsunami Research]], as reported in Japan tsunami: Toll could rise to more than 1,300, NDTV-hosted copy of an article by Martin Fackler, The New York Times, 12 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011. Just over an hour after the earthquake at 15:55 JST, a tsunami was observed flooding Sendai Airport, which is located near the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, with waves sweeping away cars and planes and flooding various buildings as they traveled inland. The impact of the tsunami in and around Sendai Airport was filmed by an NHK News helicopter, showing a number of vehicles on local roads trying to escape the approaching wave and being engulfed by it.NHK News, ~16:00 JST. A tsunami hit Iwate Prefecture. Wakabayashi Ward in Sendai was also particularly hard hit."Earthquake", Japan Times, 19 March 2011, p. 16. At least 101 designated tsunami evacuation sites were hit by the wave.Kyodo News, "Tsunami hit more than 100 designated evacuation sites", Japan Times, 14 April 2011, p. 1. , Iwate Prefecture, suffered extensive damage from the tsunami, with almost the entirety of the lower area of the city being destroyed.]] Like the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the damage by surging water, though much more localized, was far more deadly and destructive than the actual quake. Entire towns were destroyed in tsunami-hit areas in Japan, including 9,500 missing in Minamisanriku; one thousand bodies had been recovered in the town by 14 March 2011.Kyodo News, "2,000 more added to death toll in Miyagi", Japan Times, 15 March 2011, p. 1. Among several factors causing the high death toll from the tsunami, one was the unexpectedly large size of the water surge. The tsunami walls in several of the affected cities had been constructed to protect against tsunamis of much lower heights. Also, many people who were caught in the tsunami thought that they were located on high enough ground to be safe.Watts, Jonathan, "Quake survivors search for hope and shelter", Japan Times, 26 March 2011, p. 13. According to the conclusions of a special committee on disaster prevention, which had been designated by the Japanese government, the tsunami protection policy had been intended to deal with only those tsunamis that had been scientifically proved to occur repeatedly; the committee therefore advised that in the future the policy should be changed to protect against the highest possible tsunami. Because tsunami walls had been overtopped by this tsunami, the committee also suggested that, besides constructing tsunami walls to a height that can protect against relatively frequent tsunamis, it is still necessary to teach citizens who are protected by tsunami walls how to evacuate if a largest scale tsunami should strike those places. runway]] Large parts of Kuji and the southern section of Ōfunato including the port area were almost entirely destroyed.Tritten, Travis, J., and T. D. Flack, "U.S. rescue teams find devastation in northern city of Ofunato", Stars and Stripes (newspaper), 15 March 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011. Also largely destroyed was Rikuzentakata, where the tsunami was three stories high.Staff Reporter (12 March 2011) "Wiped off the map: The moment apocalyptic tsunami waves drown a sleepy coast town". www.dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2011. "Honderden doden in Japanse kuststad (Hundreds dead in Japanese coastal town)" (in Dutch). www.rtlnieuws.nl. Retrieved 12 March 2011. Other cities destroyed or heavily damaged by the tsunami include Kamaishi, Miyako, Ōtsuchi, and Yamada (in Iwate Prefecture), Namie, Sōma, and Minamisōma (in Fukushima Prefecture) and Shichigahama, Higashimatsushima, Onagawa, Natori, Ishinomaki, and Kesennuma (in Miyagi Prefecture).Martin, Alex, "JET post best, not 'pityfest'", Japan Times, 7 April 2011, p. 3. Kyodo News, "Miyagi coastal whaling port pulverized, little more than memory", Japan Times, 18 March 2011, p. 3. Kyodo News, "Deaths, people missing set to top 1,600: Edano", Japan Times, 13 March 2011.Kyodo News, "Survivors in trauma after life-changing nightmare day", Japan Times, 13 March 2011, p. 2.Kyodo News, "Death toll may surpass 10,000 in Miyagi", Japan Times, 14 March 2011, p. 1. Alabaster, Jay, and Todd Pitman, (Associated Press), "Hardships, suffering in earthquake zone", Japan Times, 15 March 2011, p. 3. Gihooly, Rob, "'Nothing can prepare you to witness this', Japan Times, 20 March 2011, p. 7. The most severe effects of the tsunami were felt along a stretch of coastline from Erimo, Hokkaido, in the north to Ōarai, Ibaraki, in the south, with most of the destruction in that area occurring in the hour following the earthquake.Stuart Biggs and Aaron Sheldrick (11 March 2011). Tsunami Slams Japan After Record Earthquake, Killing Hundreds, Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 12 March 2012. Near Ōarai, people captured images of a huge whirlpool that had been generated by the tsunami. The tsunami washed away the sole bridge to Miyatojima, Miyagi, isolating the island's 900 residents.Kyodo News, "Survivors on cut-off isle were ready for disaster", Japan Times, 19 March 2011, p. 2. A high tsunami hit Chiba Prefecture about 2½ hours after the quake, causing heavy damage to cities such as Asahi.Fukue, Natsuko, "Tsunami came late to unprepared Chiba", Japan Times, 30 March 2011, p. 2. On 13 March 2011, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) published details of tsunami observations recorded around the coastline of Japan following the earthquake. These observations included tsunami maximum readings of over at the following locations and times on 11 March 2011, following the earthquake at 14:46 JST:Tsunami Information NUMBER 64 (Tsunami Observation), Japan Meteorological Agency, issued 18:05 JST 13 March 2011, Retrieved 14 March 2011. The Iwate Kamaishi-oki reading was obtained by GPS wave meter. * 15:12 JST – off Kamaishi – * 15:15 JST – Ōfunato – or higher * 15:20 JST – Ishinomaki-shi Ayukawa – or higher * 15:21 JST – Miyako – or higher * 15:21 JST – Kamaishi – or higher * 15:44 JST – Erimo-cho Shoya – * 15:50 JST – Sōma – or higher * 16:52 JST – Ōarai – Many areas were also affected by waves of in height, and the JMA bulletin also included the caveat that "At some parts of the coasts, tsunamis may be higher than those observed at the observation sites." The timing of the earliest recorded tsunami maximum readings ranged from 15:12 to 15:21, between 26 and 35 minutes after the earthquake had struck. The bulletin also included initial tsunami observation details, as well as more detailed maps for the coastlines affected by the tsunami waves.Tsunami Information NUMBER 64 (Tsunami Observation), Japan Meteorological Agency, issued 18:05 JST 13 March 2011, Retrieved 14 March 2011. (Tohoku district.) Tsunami Information NUMBER 64 (Tsunami Observation), Japan Meteorological Agency, issued 18:05 JST 13 March 2011, Retrieved 14 March 2011. (Kanto/Chubu district.) JMA also reported offshore tsunami height recorded by telemetry from moored GPS wave-height meter buoys as follows:"Tsunami Information NUMBER 64(Tsunami Observations)" Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 12 March 2012. * offshore of central Iwate (Miyako) – * offshore of northern Iwate (Kuji) – * offshore of northern Miyagi (Kesennuma) – On 25 March 2011, Port and Airport Research Institute (PARI) reported tsunami height by visiting the port sites as follows: animation of the tsunami's propagation]] * Port of Hachinohe – * Port of Hachinohe area – * Port of Kuji – * Port of Kamaishi – * Port of Ōfunato – * Run up height, port of Ōfunato area – * Fishery port of Onagawa – * Port of Ishinomaki – * Shiogama section of Shiogama-Sendai port – * Sendai section of Shiogama-Sendai port – * Sendai Airport area – The tsunami at Ryōri Bay ( ), Ōfunato reached a height of (run-up elevation). Fishing equipment was scattered on the high cliff above the bay. 日本で一番大きな津波は何ですか？, JMA At Tarō, Iwate, the tsunami reached a height of up the slope of a mountain some away from the coastline. Also, at the slope of a nearby mountain from away at Aneyoshi fishery port ( ) of Omoe peninsula ( ) in Miyako, Iwate, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology found estimated tsunami run up height of . This height is deemed the record in Japan historically, as of reporting date, that exceeds from the 1896 Meiji-Sanriku earthquake. It was also estimated that the tsunami reached heights of up to in Miyako in Tōhoku's Iwate Prefecture. The inundated areas closely matched those of the 869 Sanriku tsunami.Yoshida, Reiji, "869 Tohoku tsunami parallels stun", Japan Times, 11 March 2012, p. 1. A Japanese government study found that 58% of people in coastal areas in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures heeded tsunami warnings immediately after the quake and headed for higher ground. Of those who attempted to evacuate after hearing the warning, only five percent were caught in the tsunami. Of those who didn't heed the warning, 49% were hit by the water.Jiji Press, "42% didn't immediately flee tsunami", Japan Times, 18 August 2011, p. 2. Delayed evacuations in response to the warnings had a number of causes. The tsunami height that had been initially predicted by the tsunami warning system was lower than the actual tsunami height; this error contributed to the delayed escape of some residents. The discrepancy arose as follows: In order to produce a quick prediction of a tsunami's height and thus to provide a timely warning, the initial earthquake and tsunami warning that was issued for the event was based on a calculation that requires only about 3 minutes. This calculation is, in turn, based on the maximum amplitude of the seismic wave. The amplitude of the seismic wave is measured using the JMA magnitude scale, which is similar to Richter magnitude scale. However, these scales "saturate" for earthquakes that are above a certain magnitude (magnitude 8 on the JMA scale); that is, in the case of very large earthquakes, the scales' values change little despite large differences in the earthquakes' energy. This resulted in an underestimation of the tsunami's height in initial reports. Problems in issuing updates also contributed to delays in evacuations. The warning system was supposed to be updated about 15 minutes after the earthquake occurred, by which time the calculation for the moment magnitude scale would normally be completed. However, the strong quake had exceeded the measurement limit of all of the teleseismometers within Japan, and thus it was impossible to calculate the moment magnitude based on data from those seismometers. Another cause of delayed evacuations was the release of the second update on the tsunami warning long after the earthquake (28 minutes, according to observations); by that time, power failures and similar circumstances reportedly prevented the update from reaching some residents. Also, observed data from tidal meters that were located off the coast were not fully reflected in the second warning. Furthermore, shortly after the earthquake, some wave meters reported a fluctuation of " ", and this value was broadcast throughout the mass media and the warning system, which caused some residents to underestimate the danger of their situation and even delayed or suspended their evacuation. In response to the aforementioned shortcomings in the tsunami warning system, JMA began an investigation in 2011 and updated their system in 2013. In the updated system, for a powerful earthquake that is capable of causing the JMA magnitude scale to saturate, no quantitative prediction will be released in the initial warning; instead, there will be words that describe the situation's emergency. There are plans to install new teleseismometers with the ability to measure larger earthquakes, which would allow the calculation of a quake's moment magnitude scale in a timely manner. JMA also implemented a simpler empirical method to integrate, into a tsunami warning, data from GPS tidal meters as well as from undersea water pressure meters, and there are plans to install more of these meters and to develop further technology to utilize data observed by them. To prevent under-reporting of tsunami heights, early quantitative observation data that are smaller than the expected amplitude will be overridden and the public will instead be told that the situation is under observation. About 90 seconds after an earthquake, an additional report on the possibility of a tsunami will also be included in observation reports, in order to warn people before the JMA magnitude can be calculated. Elsewhere across the Pacific trapped in the sand on Midway Atoll by the tsunami, before being rescued]] Shortly after the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Hawaii issued tsunami watches and announcements for locations in the Pacific. At 07:30 UTC, PTWC issued a widespread tsunami warning covering the entire Pacific Ocean. Russia evacuated 11,000 residents from coastal areas of the Kuril Islands. The United States National Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for the coastal areas in most of California, all of Oregon, and the western part of Alaska, and a tsunami advisory covering the Pacific coastlines of most of Alaska, and all of Washington and British Columbia, Canada. In California and Oregon, up to tsunami surges hit some areas, damaging docks and harbors and causing over US$10 million in damage.Helen Jung and Jeff Manning, "Waves bring destruction to Oregon's south coast", The Oregonian, 12 March 2011, p. 1+ In Curry County, Oregon $7 million in damage occurred including the destruction of of docks at the Brookings harbor; the county has received over $1 million in FEMA emergency grants. Surges of up to hit Vancouver Island in Canada prompting some evacuations, and causing boats to be banned from the waters surrounding the island for 12 hours following the wave strike, leaving many island residents in the area without means of getting to work.Twilight tsunami evacuation. Courier Mail (14 March 2011). Retrieved on 3 April 2011. Girl, Bowen. (16 March 2011) Diary of a Bowen girl: Japan. Bowendiaries.blogspot.com. Retrieved on 3 April 2011. , Chile]] In the Philippines, waves up to high hit the eastern seaboard of the country. Some houses along the coast in Jayapura, Indonesia were destroyed. Authorities in Wewak, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea evacuated 100 patients from the city's Boram Hospital before it was hit by the waves, causing an estimated US$4 million in damage. Hawaii estimated damage to public infrastructure alone at US$3 million, with damage to private properties, including resort hotels such as Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, estimated at tens of millions of dollars.Nakaso, Dan (14 March 2011)Tsunami damage estimate for Hawaii now tens of millions Star Advertiser. Retrieved 15 March 2011. It was reported that a wave completely submerged Midway Atoll's reef inlets and Spit Island, killing more than 110,000 nesting seabirds at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Some other South Pacific countries, including Tonga and New Zealand, and U.S. territories American Samoa and Guam, experienced larger-than-normal waves, but did not report any major damage. However, in Guam some roads were closed off and people were evacuated from low-lying areas.Tsunami Warning For Guam Extended Until 11 p.m. Pacificnewscenter.com (11 March 2011). Retrieved on 3 April 2011. , Oregon, USA]] Along the Pacific Coast of Mexico and South America, tsunami surges were reported, but in most places caused little or no damage.Minor damage in Latin America by Japan's tsunami, channelnewsasia.com, 13 March 2011 Peru reported a wave of and more than 300 homes damaged. The surge in Chile was large enough to damage more than 200 houses,(Spanish) Más de 200 casas dañadas dejó seguidilla de olas. ANSA Latina. 13 March 2011. with waves of up to .(Spanish) Caldera: 80 viviendas resultaron destruidas en Puerto Viejo por efecto de las olas. Radio Bio-Bio. 3 December 2011. (Spanish) Más de 200 casas dañadas dejó seguidilla de olas que azotaron las costas chilenas La Tercera. 3 December 2011. In the Galápagos Islands, 260 families received assistance following a surge which arrived 20 hours after the earthquake, after the tsunami warning had been lifted. There was a great deal of damage to buildings on the islands and one man was injured but there were no reported fatalities.Tsunami Aftermath in Galapagos: Update from CDRS' Director Dr. J. Gabriel Lopez. Galapagos.org. Retrieved on 3 April 2011. After a high surge hit Chile, it was reported that the reflection from those surges traveled back across the Pacific, causing surge in Japan, 47–48 hours after the earthquake, according to observation from multiple , including in Onahama, Owase, and Kushimoto.「津波 太平洋を往復」Nikkei 2014-05-02 Morning News2014-05-01 , visiting scholar Masami Okada. The tsunami broke icebergs off the Sulzberger Ice Shelf in Antarctica, away. The main iceberg measured (approximately the area of Manhattan Island) and about thick. A total of of ice broke away. (fee required for full article) As of April 2012, wreckage from the tsunami spread around the world, including a soccer ball which was found in AlaskaJapan tsunami victim's soccer ball found in Alaska 24 April 2012. Associated Press and a Japanese motorcycle found in British Columbia, Canada. Land subsidence in Urayasu, Chiba, near Tokyo]] The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan reported land subsidence based on the height of triangulation stations in the area measured by GPS as compared to their previous values from 14 April 2011. * Miyako, Iwate – * Yamada, Iwate – * Ōtsuchi, Iwate – * Kamaishi, Iwate – * Ōfunato, Iwate – * Rikuzentakata, Iwate – * Kesennuma, Miyagi – * Minamisanriku, Miyagi – * Oshika Peninsula, Miyagi – Values announced by Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, news report by Yomiuri Shimbun 15 April 2011 ver. 13S page 33 * Ishinomaki, Miyagi – * Higashimatsushima, Miyagi – * Iwanuma, Miyagi – * Sōma, Fukushima – Scientists say that the subsidence is permanent. As a result, the communities in question are now more susceptible to flooding during high tides.Alabaster, Jay (9 May 2011). "Quake Shifted Japan; Towns Now Flood at High Tide", Associated Press, ABC News. Retrieved 13 March 2012. Casualties Japan In Japan, the National Police Agency has confirmed and across twenty prefectures. In addition, some three thousands extra death have been identified as "earthquake-related death",東日本大震災における震災関連死の死者数（平成29年3月31日現在）［平成29年6月30日公表］震災関連死の死者数等について bringing the total number of death caused by the disaster to 19,575 as of 2017 September.平成23年（2011年）東北地方太平洋沖地震（東日本大震災）の被害状況（平成29年9月1日現在） 2017-09-01, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Of the 13,135 fatalities recovered by 11 April 2011, 12,143 or 92.5% died by drowning. Victims aged 60 or older accounted for 65.2% of the deaths, with 24% of total victims being in their 70s.Kyodo News, "90% of disaster casualties drowned", Japan Times, 21 April 2011, p. 2. As of March 2012, Japanese police data showed that 70% of the 3,279 still missing were aged 60 or over, all found, including 893 in their 70s and 577 in their 80s. Of the total confirmed victims, 14,308 drowned, 667 were crushed to death or died from internal injuries, and 145 perished from burns.Jiji Press, "70% of missing aged 60 and older", Japan Times, 8 March 2012, p. 2. "Earthquake-related death" is defined as cases where the earthquake did not directly kill those people, however it act as a contributory factor that indirectly caused their death, for the purpose of relief fund distribution. Some of the most widely reported reason for these deaths include "Physical and mental fatigue caused by life in temporary shelter", "Physical and mental fatigue caused by evacuation", "Delayed treatment due to the inoperative of hospital", "Physical and mental fatigue caused by stress from the earthquake and tsunami". A few cases of suicide are also included. Most of these deaths occurred during the first six months after the earthquake and the number dropped thereafter, but as time has passed, the number has continued to increase. Most of these deaths occurred in Fukushima prefecture, where the prefecture government has suggested that they could be due to evacuations caused by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.３．11「震災関連死」という問い 福島県の分析を通して 野口典子 These indirect casualties have already resulted in more deaths than the number of people killed directly by earthquake and tsunami within the Fukushima prefecture.福島の震災関連死2000人超す　原発避難の長期化影響 2015-12-28 Nikkei Save the Children reports that as many as 100,000 children were uprooted from their homes, some of whom were separated from their families because the earthquake occurred during the school day. 236 children were orphaned in the prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima by the disaster;Kyodo News, "More quake orphan benefits sought", Japan Times, 18 September 2011, p. 1.Agence France-Presse/Jiji Press, "At least 82 children were orphaned by disaster, government says", Japan Times, 10 April 2011, p. 2. 1,580 children lost either one or both parents,Kyodo News, "Grandparents stifle grief to raise orphaned boy", Japan Times, 23 February 2012, p. 3. 846 in Miyagi, 572 in Iwate, and 162 in Fukushima.Kyodo News, "Tōhoku teen feels guilt of being lone survivor", Japan Times, 24 February 2012, p. 3. The quake and tsunami killed 378 elementary, middle-school, and high school students and left 158 others missing.Kyodo News, "378 students killed, 158 missing in disaster", Japan Times, 29 April 2011, p. 2. The victims included 234 elementary, 111 junior high and 191 high school students. Direct quote: "Out of the 378 students confirmed dead, 273 were in Miyagi, 59 in Fukushima and 46 in Iwate. The list of missing students is made up of 74 in Miyagi, 52 in Iwate and 32 in Fukushima." As of 25 December 2011, 342 elementary and junior high school students were declared dead or missing (Kyodo News, "3/11 tsunami killed 35% of students 'saved' by parents", Japan Times, 25 December 2011, p. 2.) One elementary school in Ishinomaki, Miyagi, Okawa Elementary, lost 74 of 108 students and 10 of 13 teachers and staff.Associated Press, "Loss-staggered school reopens ", Japan Times, 19 April 2011, p. 3.Kyodo News, "Loss-hit Ishinomaki school opens", Japan Times, 22 April 2011, p. 2.Kyodo News, "School that lost 70% of its pupils mourns ", Japan Times, 29 April 2011, p. 1. The Japanese Foreign Ministry has confirmed the deaths of nineteen foreigners. Among them are two English teachers from the United States affiliated with the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program; a Canadian missionary in Shiogama; and citizens of China, North and South Korea, Taiwan, Pakistan and the Philippines. By 9:30 UTC on 11 March, Google Person Finder, which was previously used in the Haitian, Chilean, and Christchurch, New Zealand earthquakes, was collecting information about survivors and their locations. Japanese funerals are normally elaborate Buddhist ceremonies that entail cremation. The thousands of bodies, however, exceeded the capacity of available crematoriums and morgues, many of them damaged, and there were shortages of both kerosene—each cremation requires 50 litres—and dry ice for preservation. The single crematorium in Higashimatsushima, for example, could only handle four bodies a day, although hundreds were found there. Governments and the military were forced to bury many bodies in hastily dug mass graves with rudimentary or no rites, although relatives of the deceased were promised that they would be cremated later. Noted individual fatalities within Japan included 103-year-old Takashi Shimokawara, holder of the world athletics records in the men's shot put, discus throw and javelin throw for the over-100s age category. He was killed by the earthquake and tsunami at Kamaishi, Iwate."Takashi Shimokawara, 104, a victim of Japanese tsunami", International Association of Athletics Federations, 30 March 2011 As of 27 May 2011, three Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members had died while conducting relief operations in Tōhoku.Kyodo News, "GSDF member dies during relief", Japan Times, 28 May 2011, p. 2. As of March 2012, the Japanese government had recognized 1,331 deaths as indirectly related to the earthquake, such as caused by harsh living conditions after the disaster.Kyodo News, "Illness, suicides drive up disaster-linked toll", Japan Times, 4 March 2012, p. 2. As of 30 April 2012, 18 people had died and 420 had been injured while participating in disaster recovery or clean-up efforts.Jiji Press, "Disaster reconstruction work has claimed 18 lives so far", Japan Times, 6 June 2012, p. 1 Overseas The tsunami is reported to have caused several deaths outside Japan. One man was killed in Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia after being swept out to sea. A man who is said to have been attempting to photograph the oncoming tsunami at the mouth of the Klamath River, south of Crescent City, California, was swept out to sea. His body was found on 2 April along Ocean Beach in Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon, to the north. Tsunami victim remains wash ashore near Fort Stevens. Koinlocal6.com (12 March 2011). Retrieved on 2 May 2011. Damage and effects The degree and extent of damage caused by the earthquake and resulting tsunami were enormous, with most of the damage being caused by the tsunami. Video footage of the towns that were worst affected shows little more than piles of rubble, with almost no parts of any structures left standing. Estimates of the cost of the damage range well into the tens of billions of US dollars; before-and-after satellite photographs of devastated regions show immense damage to many regions. Although Japan has invested the equivalent of billions of dollars on anti-tsunami seawalls which line at least 40% of its 34,751 km (21,593 mi) coastline and stand up to 12 m (39 ft) high, the tsunami simply washed over the top of some seawalls, collapsing some in the process. after the earthquake]] Japan's National Police Agency said on 3 April 2011, that 45,700 buildings were destroyed and 144,300 were damaged by the quake and tsunami. The damaged buildings included 29,500 structures in Miyagi Prefecture, 12,500 in Iwate Prefecture and 2,400 in Fukushima Prefecture.NHK, "190,000 buildings damaged by 11 March quake", 3 April 2011. Three hundred hospitals with 20 beds or more in Tōhoku were damaged by the disaster, with 11 being completely destroyed.Kyodo News, "Fishermen to Tepco: Don't release water", Japan Times, 9 June 2011, p. 1. The earthquake and tsunami created an estimated 24–25 million tons of rubble and debris in Japan.Agence France-Presse/Jiji Press, "Radiation, legalities complicate cleanup efforts", Japan Times, 9 April 2011, p. 2.Kamiya, Setsuko, "Debris removal, recycling daunting, piecemeal labor", Japan Times, 30 June 2011, p. 3. An estimated 230,000 automobiles and trucks were damaged or destroyed in the disaster. As of the end of May 2011, residents of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures had requested deregistration of 15,000 vehicles, meaning that the owners of those vehicles were writing them off as unrepairable or unsalvageable.Kyodo News, "Applications to deregister cars lost in tsunami soar, Japan Times, 16 June 2011, p. 1. Ports All of Japan's ports were briefly shut down after the earthquake, though the ones in Tokyo and southwards soon re-opened. Fifteen ports were located in the disaster zone. The north eastern ports of Hachinohe, Sendai, Ishinomaki and Onahama were destroyed, while the Port of Chiba (which serves the hydrocarbon industry) and Japan's ninth-largest container port at Kashima were also affected, though less severely. The ports at Hitachinaka, Hitachi, Soma, Shiogama, Kesennuma, Ofunato, Kamashi and Miyako were also damaged and closed to ships. All 15 ports reopened to limited ship traffic by 29 March 2011.Nihon Keizai Shimbun, "90 percent of major transport networks back in operation", 29 March 2011. A total of 319 fishing ports, about 10% of Japan's fishing ports, were damaged in the disaster.Fukada, Takahiro, "Iwate fisheries continue struggle to recover", Japan Times, 21 September 2011, p. 3. Most were restored to operating condition by 18 April 2012.Jiji Press, "Most disaster-hit fish ports back up", Japan Times, 26 May 2012, p. 2 The Port of Tokyo suffered slight damage; the effects of the quake included visible smoke rising from a building in the port with parts of the port areas being flooded, including soil liquefaction in Tokyo Disneyland's parking lot. Dams and water problems The Fujinuma irrigation dam in Sukagawa ruptured, causing flooding and washing away five homes. Eight people were missing and four bodies were discovered by the morning. Reportedly, some locals had attempted to repair leaks in the dam before it completely failed. On 12 March 252 dams were inspected and it was discovered that six embankment dams had shallow cracks on their crests. The reservoir at one concrete gravity dam suffered a small non-serious slope failure. All damaged dams are functioning with no problems. Four dams within the quake area were unreachable. When the roads clear, experts will be dispatched to conduct further investigations. In the immediate aftermath of the calamity, at least 1.5 million households were reported to have lost access to water supplies. By 21 March 2011, this number fell to 1.04 million. Electricity According to the Japanese trade ministry, around 4.4 million households served by Tōhoku Electric Power (TEP) in northeastern Japan were left without electricity.Inajima, Tsuyoshi; Okada, Yuji (11 March 2011) "Japanese Quake Forces Evacuation Near Nuclear Reactor; Oil Refinery Burns", Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 13 March 2012. Several nuclear and conventional power plants went offline after the earthquake, reducing TEPCO's total capacity by 21 GW.Kyodo News, "Utilities' monopoly on power backfires", Japan Times, 30 March 2011, p. 2. Rolling blackouts began on 14 March due to power shortages caused by the earthquake. The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which normally provides approximately 40 GW of electricity, announced that it could only provide about 30 GW. This was because 40% of the electricity used in the greater Tokyo area was supplied by reactors in the Niigata and Fukushima prefectures. The reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Dai-ni plants were automatically taken offline when the first earthquake occurred and sustained major damage related to the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Rolling blackouts of approximately three hours were experienced throughout April and May while TEPCO scrambled to find a temporary power solution. The blackouts affected Tokyo, Kanagawa, Eastern Shizuoka, Yamanashi, Chiba, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tochigi, and Gunma prefectures. Voluntary reduced electricity use by consumers in the Kanto area helped reduce the predicted frequency and duration of the blackouts.Joe, Melinda, "Kanto area works on energy conservation", Japan Times, 17 March 2011, p. 11. By 21 March 2011, the number of households in the north without electricity fell to 242,927. Tōhoku Electric Power was not able to provide the Kanto region with additional power, because TEP's power plants were also damaged in the earthquake. Kansai Electric Power Company (Kepco) cannot share electricity, because its system operates at 60 hertz, whereas TEPCO and TEP operate their systems at 50 hertz; this is due to early industrial and infrastructure development in the 1880s that left Japan without a unified national power grid.A legacy from the 1800s leaves Tokyo facing blackouts, ITworld, 18 March 2011 Two substations, one in Shizuoka Prefecture and one in Nagano Prefecture, were able to convert between frequencies and transfer electricity from Kansai to Kanto and Tōhoku, but their capacity to do so is limited to 1 GW. With the damage to so many power plants, it may be years before a long-term solution can be found.Hongo, Jun, "One certainty in the crisis: Power will be at a premium", Japan Times, 16 March 2011, p. 2. In an effort to help alleviate the shortage, three steel manufacturers in the Kanto region contributed electricity produced by their in-house conventional power stations to TEPCO for distribution to the general public. Sumitomo Metal Industries could produce up to 500 MW, JFE Steel 400 MW, and Nippon Steel 500 MW of electric power''NHK'', "Steel makers provide TEPCO with electricity", 27 March 2011. Auto and auto parts makers in Kanto and Tōhoku agreed in May 2011 to operate their factories on Saturdays and Sundays and close on Thursdays and Fridays to assist in alleviating the electricity shortage during the summer of 2011.Nakata, Hiroko, "Auto industry agrees to adopt weekend work shifts", Japan Times, 20 May 2011, p. 1. Additionally, the public and other companies were also encouraged to conserve electricity in the 2011 summer months (Setsuden).Rubin, Jeffrey "Setsuden Poised to Replace Nuclear Power in Japan ""The Huffington Post", 4 August 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011 The expected electricity crisis in 2011 summer have been successfully prevented thanks to all the setsuden measures, peak electricity consumption recorded by TEPCO during the period was 49.22GW, which is 10.77GW (18%) lower than the peak consumption in the previous year. The overall electricity consumption during the entire July and August was also 14% less than the previous year.節電について, 今夏の電力需給状況について , 最大電力の動向 TEPCO, Access Date: October 9, 2011 The peak electricity consumption within TEP's area was 12.46GW during the 2011 summer, 3.11GW (20%) less than the peak consumption in the previous year, and the overall consumption have been reduced by 11% in July with 17% in August compared to previous year.7月分の電力需給実績について TEP, August 26, 20118月分の電力需給実績について TEP, September 28, 20119月定例社長記者会見概要 TEP, September 10, 2011 Japanese government continue to ask the public to conserve electricity for several years until year 2016, when it predicted that the supply will be sufficient to meet demand, thanks to the deepening of the mindset to conserve electricity among corporate and general public, addition of new electricity providers due to the electricity liberalization policy, increased output from renewable energy as well as fossil fuel power stations, as well as sharing of electricity between different electricity companies.政府、今夏は節電要請せず　東日本大震災後初 Nikkei, May 13, 2016「節電なし」初の夏が来る　窮地を救う省・再・新 Nikkei, June 28, 2016今夏の節電要請見送り　安定的な供給可能 Mainichi Shimbun, May 21, 2017 Oil, gas and coal ]] A -per-day oil refinery of Cosmo Oil Company was set on fire by the quake at Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, to the east of Tokyo. Japan earthquake causes oil refinery inferno Daily Telegraph, London, 11 March 2011 It was extinguished after ten days, injuring six people, and destroying storage tanks. Others halted production due to safety checks and power loss.Fires, safety checks take out Japanese refineries Argus Media, 14 March 2011. Accessed: 18 March 2011. Japanese refiners try to offset shortages Argus Media, 15 March 2011. Accessed: 18 March 2011. In Sendai, a -per-day refinery owned by the largest refiner in Japan, JX Nippon Oil & Energy, was also set ablaze by the quake. Workers were evacuated, but tsunami warnings hindered efforts to extinguish the fire until 14 March, when officials planned to do so. An analyst estimates that consumption of various types of oil may increase by as much as per day (as well as LNG), as back-up power plants burning fossil fuels try to compensate for the loss of 11 GW of Japan's nuclear power capacity.Analysis – Oil markets adjust to Japan's disaster Argus Media, 16 March 2011. Accessed: 18 March 2011. Japan quake begins to impact LNG trade Argus Media, 15 March 2011. Accessed: 18 March 2011. The city-owned plant for importing liquefied natural gas in Sendai was severely damaged, and supplies were halted for at least a month.Tsunami Disaster: "Japan's Sendai says LNG Infrastructure Badly Damaged" Argus Media, 16 March 2011. Accessed: 18 March 2011. In addition to refining and storage, several power plants were damaged. These include Sendai #4, New-Sendai #1 and #2, Haranomachi #1 and #2, Hirono #2 and #4 and Hitachinaka #1. Nuclear power plants The Fukushima Daiichi, Fukushima Daini, Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant and Tōkai nuclear power stations, consisting of a total eleven reactors, were automatically shut down following the earthquake. Higashidōri, also on the northeast coast, was already shut down for a periodic inspection. Cooling is needed to remove decay heat after a Generation II reactor has been shut down, and to maintain spent fuel pools. The backup cooling process is powered by emergency diesel generators at the plants and at Rokkasho nuclear reprocessing plant. At Fukushima Daiichi and Daini, tsunami waves overtopped seawalls and destroyed diesel backup power systems, leading to severe problems at Fukushima Daiichi, including three large explosions and radioactive leakage. Subsequent analysis found that many Japanese nuclear plants, including Fukushima Daiichi, were not adequately protected against tsunamis. Over 200,000 people were evacuated. 7 April aftershock caused the loss of external power to Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant and Higashidori Nuclear Power Plant but backup generators were functional. Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant lost 3 of 4 external power lines and temporarily lost cooling function in its spent fuel pools for "20 to 80 minutes". A spill of "up to 3.8 litres" of radioactive water also occurred at Onagawa following the aftershock.Japan Earthquake: More Nuclear Plants Lose Power, International Business Times, Jesse Emspak, 8 April 2011 A report by the IAEA in 2012 found that the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant, the closest nuclear plant to the epicenter of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, had remained largely undamaged. The plant's 3 reactors automatically shut down without damage and all safety systems functioned as designed. The plant's seawall successfully withstood the tsunami. Europe's Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger addressed the European Parliament on 15 March, explaining that the nuclear disaster was an "apocalypse".Evans, Martin and Gordon Rayner. "Japan nuclear plant disaster: warning of an 'apocalypse’ as fallout hits danger levels," The Independent (UK). 16 March 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2011. As the nuclear crisis entered a second month, experts recognized that Fukushima Daiichi is not the worst nuclear accident ever, but it is the most complicated. Nuclear experts stated that Fukushima will go down in history as the second-worst nuclear accident ever. While it was not as bad as the Chernobyl disaster, it was worse than the Three Mile Island accident. It could take months or years to learn how damaging the release of dangerous isotopes has been to human health and food supplies, and the surrounding countryside."Analysis: A month on, Japan nuclear crisis still scarring," International Business Times (Australia). 9 April 2011, retrieved 12 April 2011; excerpt, According to James Acton, Associate of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, "Fukushima is not the worst nuclear accident ever but it is the most complicated and the most dramatic ... This was a crisis that played out in real time on TV. Chernobyl did not." Later analysis indicated three reactors at Fukushima I (Units 1, 2, and 3) had suffered meltdowns and continued to leak coolant water, and by summer the Vice-minister for Economy, Trade and Industry, the head of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, and the head of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, had lost their jobs. Fukushima meltdowns Japan declared a state of emergency following the failure of the cooling system at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, resulting in the evacuation of nearby residents. Officials from the Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency reported that radiation levels inside the plant were up to 1,000 times normal levels, and that radiation levels outside the plant were up to 8 times normal levels.Hiroko Tabuchi, Matthew L. Wald. Partial Meltdowns Presumed at Crippled Reactors. The New York Times, 13 March 2011 Later, a state of emergency was also declared at the Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant about south.Chico Harlan: Japan quake: With two natural disasters and a nuclear emergency, recovery begins. The Washington Post, 12 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011. This brought the total number of problematic reactors to six.Rik Myslewski. Sixth Japanese nuclear reactor loses cooling. The Register, 13 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011. It was reported that radioactive iodine was detected in the tap water in Fukushima, Tochigi, Gunma, Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama, and Niigata, and radioactive caesium in the tap water in Fukushima, Tochigi and Gunma. Radioactive caesium, iodine, and strontiumasahi.com（朝日新聞社）：福島の土壌から微量ストロンチウム 水溶性の放射性物質 – 社会 were also detected in the soil in some places in Fukushima. There may be a need to replace the contaminated soil. Many radioactive hotspots were found outside the evacuation zone, including Tokyo. Food products were also found contaminated by radioactive matter in several places in Japan. On 5 April 2011, the government of the Ibaraki Prefecture banned the fishing of sand lance after discovering that this species was contaminated by radioactive caesium above legal limits. As late as July 2013 slightly elevated levels of radioactivity were found in beef on sale at Tokyo markets. Incidents elsewhere A fire occurred in the turbine section of the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant following the earthquake. The blaze was in a building housing the turbine, which is sited separately from the plant's reactor, and was soon extinguished. The plant was shut down as a precaution. On 13 March the lowest-level state of emergency was declared regarding the Onagawa plant as radioactivity readings temporarily exceeded allowed levels in the area of the plant. Chico Harlan, Steven Mufson: Japanese nuclear plants' operator scrambles to avert meltdowns. The Washington Post, 11 March 2011 Tōhoku Electric Power Co. stated this may have been due to radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accidents but was not from the Onagawa plant itself. As a result of 7 April aftershock, Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant lost 3 of 4 external power lines and lost cooling function for as much as 80 minutes. A spill of a couple of litres of radioactive water occurred at Onagawa. The number 2 reactor at Tōkai Nuclear Power Plant was shut down automatically. On 14 March it was reported that a cooling system pump for this reactor had stopped working; however, the Japan Atomic Power Company stated that there was a second operational pump sustaining the cooling systems, but that two of three diesel generators used to power the cooling system were out of order. Wind power None of Japan's commercial wind turbines, totaling over 2300 MW in nameplate capacity, failed as a result of the earthquake and tsunami, including the Kamisu offshore wind farm directly hit by the tsunami. Transport Japan's transport network suffered severe disruptions. Many sections of Tōhoku Expressway serving northern Japan were damaged. The expressway did not reopen to general public use until 24 March 2011.NHK World, "Tōhoku Expressway Reopened To All Traffic", 24 March 2011. All railway services were suspended in Tokyo, with an estimated 20,000 people stranded at major stations across the city.NHK News, 23:30 JST In the hours after the earthquake, some train services were resumed. Most Tokyo area train lines resumed full service by the next day—12 March.Associated Press, "When Tokyo's clockwork trains stopped ticking", Japan Times, 13 March 2011, p. 3. Twenty thousand stranded visitors spent the night of 11–12 March inside Tokyo Disneyland.Kyodo News, "Disney reality check for the stuck", Japan Times, 13 March 2011, p. 3. A tsunami wave flooded Sendai Airport at 15:55 JST, about 1 hour after the initial quake, causing severe damage. Narita and Haneda Airport both briefly suspended operations after the quake, but suffered little damage and reopened within 24 hours. Eleven airliners bound for Narita were diverted to nearby Yokota Air Base. Kyodo News, "USS Reagan on way", Japan Times, 13 March 2011, p. 2. ]] Various train services around Japan were also canceled, with JR East suspending all services for the rest of the day. Four trains on coastal lines were reported as being out of contact with operators; one, a four-car train on the Senseki Line, was found to have derailed, and its occupants were rescued shortly after 8 am the next morning. Minami-Kesennuma Station on the Kesennuma Line was obliterated save for its platform; 62 of 70 (31 of 35) JR East train lines suffered damage to some degree; in the worst-hit areas, 23 stations on 7 lines were washed away, with damage or loss of track in 680 locations and the 30-km radius around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant unable to be assessed.２３駅流失、線路被害６８０か所…ＪＲ東日本 : 社会 : YOMIURI ONLINE（読売新聞） There were no derailments of Shinkansen bullet train services in and out of Tokyo, but their services were also suspended. The Tōkaidō Shinkansen resumed limited service late in the day and was back to its normal schedule by the next day, while the Jōetsu and Nagano Shinkansen resumed services late on 12 March. Services on Yamagata Shinkansen resumed with limited numbers of trains on 31 March. Derailments were minimized because of an early warning system that detected the earthquake before it struck. The system automatically stopped all high-speed trains, which minimized the damage. The Tōhoku Shinkansen line was worst hit, with JR East estimating that 1,100 sections of the line, varying from collapsed station roofs to bent power pylons, will need repairs. Services on the Tōhoku Shinkansen partially resumed only in Kantō area on 15 March, with one round-trip service per hour between Tokyo and Nasu-Shiobara, and Tōhoku area service partially resumed on 22 March between Morioka and Shin-Aomori. Services on Akita Shinkansen resumed with limited numbers of trains on 18 March. Service between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori was restored by May, but at lower speeds due to ongoing restoration work; the pre-earthquake timetable was not reinstated until late September. ]] The rolling blackouts brought on by the crises at the nuclear power plants in Fukushima had a profound effect on the rail networks around Tokyo starting on 14 March. Major railways began running trains at 10–20 minute intervals, rather than the usual 3–5 minute intervals, operating some lines only at rush hour and completely shutting down others; notably, the Tōkaidō Main Line, Yokosuka Line, Sōbu Main Line and Chūō-Sōbu Line were all stopped for the day. This led to near-paralysis within the capital, with long lines at train stations and many people unable to come to work or get home. Railway operators gradually increased capacity over the next few days, until running at approximately 80% capacity by 17 March and relieving the worst of the passenger congestion. Telecommunications Cellular and landline phone service suffered major disruptions in the affected area. Immediately after the earthquake cellular communication was jammed across much of Japan due to a surge of network activity. On the day of the quake, American broadcaster NPR was unable to reach anyone in Sendai with working phone or Internet. Internet services were largely unaffected in areas where basic infrastructure remained, despite the earthquake having damaged portions of several undersea cable systems landing in the affected regions; these systems were able to reroute around affected segments onto redundant links. Within Japan, only a few websites were initially unreachable. Several Wi-Fi hotspot providers reacted to the quake by providing free access to their networks, and some American telecommunications and VoIP companies such as AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile and VoIP companies such as netTALK and Vonage have offered free calls to (and in some cases, from) Japan for a limited time, as did Germany's Deutsche Telekom. Defense Matsushima Air Field of the Japan Self-Defense Force in Miyagi Prefecture was struck by the tsunami, flooding the base and resulting in damage to all 18 Mitsubishi F-2 fighter jets of the 21st Fighter Training Squadron. 12 of the aircraft were scrapped, while the remaining 6 were slated for repair at a cost of 80 billion yen ($1 billion), exceeding the original cost of the aircraft. Space center JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) evacuated the Tsukuba Space Center in Tsukuba, Ibaraki. The Center, which houses a control room for part of the International Space Station, was shut down and some damage was reported. The Tsukuba control center resumed full operations for the space station's Kibo laboratory and the HTV cargo craft on 21 March 2011. Cultural properties at Tokiwa shrine in Mito City]] 754 cultural properties were damaged across nineteen prefectures, including five National Treasures (at Zuigan-ji, Ōsaki Hachiman-gū, Shiramizu Amidadō, and Seihaku-ji); 160 Important Cultural Properties (including at Sendai Tōshō-gū, the Kōdōkan, and Entsū-in, with its western decorative motifs); one hundred and forty-four Monuments of Japan (including Matsushima, Takata-matsubara, Yūbikan, and the Site of Tagajō); six Groups of Traditional Buildings; and four Important Tangible Folk Cultural Properties. Stone monuments at the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Shrines and Temples of Nikkō were toppled. In Tokyo, there was damage to Koishikawa Kōrakuen, Rikugien, Hamarikyū Onshi Teien, and the walls of Edo Castle. Information on the condition of collections held by museums, libraries and archives is still incomplete. There was no damage to the Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture, and the recommendation for their inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in June was seized upon as a symbol of international recognition and recovery. Aftermath ]] The aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami included both a humanitarian crisis and a major economic impact. The tsunami resulted in over 340,000 displaced people in the Tōhoku region, and shortages of food, water, shelter, medicine, and fuel for survivors. In response the Japanese government mobilized the Self-Defence Forces (under Joint Task Force – Tōhoku, led by Lieutenant General Eiji Kimizuka), while many countries sent search and rescue teams to help search for survivors. Aid organizations both in Japan and worldwide also responded, with the Japanese Red Cross reporting $1 billion in donations. The economic impact included both immediate problems, with industrial production suspended in many factories, and the longer term issue of the cost of rebuilding which has been estimated at ¥10 trillion ($122 billion). In comparison to the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake, the East Japan earthquake brought serious damage to an extremely wide range. The aftermath of the twin disasters also left Japan's coastal cities and towns with nearly 25 million tons of debris. In Ishinomaki alone, there were 17 trash collection sites long and at least high. An official in the city's government trash disposal department estimated that it would take three years to empty these sites. In April 2015, authorities off the coast of Oregon discovered debris that is thought to be from a boat destroyed during the tsunami. Cargo contained yellowtail jack fish, a species that lives off the coast of Japan, still alive. KGW estimates that more than 1 million tons of debris still remain in the Pacific Ocean. Humanitarian response , Hungary]] , Japan following the tsunami]] According to Japan's foreign ministry, 116 countries and 28 international organizations offered assistance. Japan specifically requested assistance from teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and the United States. Media coverage Japan's national public broadcaster, NHK, and Japan Satellite Television suspended their usual programming to provide ongoing coverage of the situation.NHK News, 14:40 JST. Other nationwide Japanese and international TV networks also broadcast uninterrupted coverage of the disaster. Ustream Asia broadcast live feeds of NHK, Tokyo Broadcasting System, Nippon TV, Fuji TV, TV Asahi, TV Tokyo, Tokyo MX, TV Kanagawa, and CNN on the Internet starting on 12 March 2011. YokosoNews, an Internet webcast in Japan, dedicated its broadcast to the latest news gathered from Japanese news stations, translating them in real time to English.Pinola, Melanie. Listen to Live Coverage from Japan In English from YokosoNews, "lifehacker", 13 March 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2011. It was noted that the Japanese news media has been at times overly cautious to avoid panic and reliance on confusing statements by experts and officials.Brasor, Philip. "Local broadcasters remain calm during the quake crisis," Japan Times. 20 March 2011; Johnston, Eric. "Foreign media take flak for fanning fears," Japan Times. 21 March 2011; Harlan, Chico and Akiko Yamamoto. "In Japan, disaster coverage is measured, not breathless," Washington Post (US). 27 March 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2011. In this national crisis, the Japanese government provided Japanese Sign Language (JSL) interpreting at the press conferences related to the earthquake and tsunami."First interpreting at government press conference on disaster," Deaf News Japan. 20 March 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2011. Television broadcasts of the press conferences of Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano included simultaneous JSL interpreters standing next to the Japanese flag on the same platform."Japan Relief Headquarters for Persons with Disabilities Petition for Support and Accommodation Following Earthquake," United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD), 17 March 2011, retrieved 14 April 2011; "New Komeito post-quake initiatives being adopted," New Komeito Party. 20 March 2011, retrieved 14 April 2011; "Japan's PM set to visit crippled nuclear plant," CTV (Canada). 1 April 2011; see photo. Retrieved 2011-04-14. According to Jake Adelstein, most Japanese media accepted and parroted the misinformation put out by the Japanese government and TEPCO about the unfolding Fukushima nuclear crisis. Notable exceptions, according to Adelstein, were newspapers Sankei Shimbun and Chunichi Shimbun which questioned the accuracy of the information coming from the government and TEPCO. Because of the unquestioning nature of most Japanese media to hold to the "party line", many Japanese mid-level officials and experts spoke to foreign media to get their opinions and observations publicized.Adelstein, Jake, "What 2011 means for Japan in 2012 and beyond," Japan Times, 1 January 2012, p. 20. Atsushi Funahashi, director of Nuclear Nation notes that "when the overseas media was calling Fukushima a 'meltdown,' the Japanese government and media waited two months before admitting it." Nine days after the earthquake hit, a visualization and sonification were uploaded to YouTube allowing listeners to hear the earthquake as it unfolded in time. Two days of seismic activity made available by the IRIS Consortium were compressed into two minutes of sound. The large number of views made the video one of the most popular examples of sonification on the web. Also, following the earthquake, for the first time in Japanese history, the Emperor addressed the nation in a pre-recorded television broadcast. Scientific and research response Seismologists anticipated a very large quake would strike in the same place as the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake — in the Sagami Trough, southwest of Tokyo. The Japanese government had tracked plate movements since 1976 in preparation for the so-called Tokai earthquake, predicted to take place in that region. However, occurring as it did north east of Tokyo, the Tōhoku earthquake came as a surprise to seismologists. While the Japan Trench was known for creating large quakes, it had not been expected to generate quakes above an 8.0 magnitude. The Headquarters For Earthquake Research Promotion setup by Japanese government have then reassessed the long term risk of trench-type earthquakes around Japan, and it was announced in November 2011 that, combining with researches on 869 Sanriku earthquake, an earthquake similar to this one (with a magnitude of 8.4–9.0) would take place in the area between off the coast of Pacific side of the Northeast Japan in an average of every 600 years intervals (See also Seismicity of the Sanriku coast), and it is also assessed that a tsunami-earthquake with a tsunami magnitude scales (Mt) between 8.6 and 9.0 (Similar to 1896 Sanriku earthquake, the Mt for the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake is 9.1–9.4) will have a 30% chance to occur within 30 years. The quake gave scientists the opportunity to collect a large amount of data so as to model in great detail the seismic events that took place. This data is expected to be used in a variety of ways, providing as it does unprecedented information about how buildings respond to shaking, and other effects. Gravimetric data from the quake has been used to create a model for increased warning time compared to seismic models, as gravity fields travel faster than seismic waves. Researchers have also analysed the economic effects of this earthquake and have developed models of the nationwide propagation via interfirm supply networks of the shock originated in Tōhoku region. Researchers soon after the full extent of the disaster was known launched a project to gather all digital material relating to the disaster into an online searchable archive to form the basis of future research into the events during and after the disaster. The Japan Digital Archive is presented in English and Japanese and is hosted at the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. Some of the first research to come from the archive was a 2014 paper from the Digital Methods Initiative in Amsterdam about patterns of Twitter usage around the time of the disaster. After the 2011 disaster the UNISDR, United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, held its World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Tohoku in March 2015, which produced the Sendai Framework document to guide efforts by international development agencies to act before disasters instead of reacting to them after the fact. At this time Japan's Disaster Management Office (Naikakufu Bosai Keikaku) published a bi-lingual guide in Japanese and English, Disaster Management in Japan, to outline the several varieties of natural disaster and the preparations being made for the eventuality of each. In the fall of 2016 Japan's National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED; Japanese abbreviation, Bosai Kaken; full name Bousai Kagaku Gijutsu Kenkyusho) launched the online interactive "Disaster Chronology Map for Japan, 416–2013" (map labels in Japanese) to display in visual form the location, disaster time, and date across the islands. An expedition named Japan Trench Fast Drilling Project have been conducted in year 2012–2013 to drill oceanfloor boreholes through the fault-zone of the earthquake and gathered important data about the rupture mechanism and physical properties of the fault that caused the huge earthquake and tsuanmi which devastated much of northeast Japan.Smithsonian.com Fault that Caused Japan's 2011 Earthquake is Thin and Slippery, Dec. 5, 2013Christian Science Monitor Japan's monster quake: Do scientists have key to decode future tremblors?, Dec. 6, 2013 See also * Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster * Health crisis * List of earthquakes in 2011 * List of earthquakes in Japan * List of historical tsunamis * Lists of earthquakes * Map to chronicle all known disasters in Japan from 416–2013 (labels in Japanese) * Nuclear power in Japan § Seismicity * Ryou-Un Maru * Seismicity of the Sanriku coast Notes References }} Further reading * * * Cabinet Office Disaster Management, Government of Japan (2015). Disaster Management in Japan. Online (bilingual), http://www.bousai.go.jp/1info/pdf/saigaipamphlet_je.pdf * Levi McLaughlin * Levi McLaughlin External links * Japan's Killer Quake – NOVA * Poster of the Great Tōhoku Earthquake from United States Geological Survey (USGS) * Scientific information about the Tōhoku earthquake * * Pacific Tsunami Warning Center at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) * Map of Tsunami Inundation Areas in Japan from ReliefWeb * Massive earthquake hits Japan Photos from The Boston Globe * Japan Earthquake: before and after aerial and satellite images from ABC News, credited to Post-earthquake images of Japan * Satellite Photos of Japan, Before and After the Quake and Tsunami The New York Times * 2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami at Google Crisis Response * Japan in Crisis: A Series of Interviews with Scholars by Peter Shea at the University of Minnesota * Special: The Tōhoku-Oki Earthquake, Japan – free-access scientific papers from Science magazine * * Japan Gigantic Earthquake and Tsunami 2011 * The East Japan Earthquake Archive (Testimonies of survivors, Photographs and Videos on Google Earth) * Gross, Richard. (2011, 19 March) "Japan Earthquake May Have Shifted Earth's Axis" – NPR online * PreventionWeb Great East Japan Earthquake 2011 * Video archives from NHK * from ''FNN'' * Interactive Comparisons of Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami at Beslider.com * Category:2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami Tohoku Earthquake, Tohoku Tohoku Category:Coasts of Japan Category:Civilian nuclear power accidents Category:Midway Atoll Category:History of Tokyo Category:Megathrust earthquakes in Japan Earthquake,2011-03-11,Tohoku Category:Natural disasters in British Columbia Category:Natural disasters in California Category:Natural disasters in Hawaii Category:Natural disasters in Oregon Category:Natural disasters in Papua New Guinea Category:Natural disasters in Peru Category:Natural disasters in Washington (state) Category:Nuclear energy in Japan Category:Postwar Japan Category:Sendai Category:Tōhoku region Category:Tsunamis in Chile Category:Tsunamis in Japan Category:Tsunamis in the United States Category:Articles containing video clips Category:March 2011 events